This week's Yorkshire appointments: Northern Gritstone, Ward Hadaway & Art of Cloud

This week’s round up of Yorkshire appointments includes Northern Gritstone, Ward Hadaway & Art of Cloud. Read on to find out more.

Khadija Ashfaq, Northern Gritstone

Northern Gritstone, the investment business focused on university spin-outs and science and technology enabled businesses in the North of England, today announces that it has appointed Khadija Ashfaq as an investment manager.

Khadija will be responsible for identifying and sourcing potential investment opportunities, negotiating investment deals and managing relationships with companies across the group’s portfolio.

She brings in-depth knowledge of the regional venture capital landscape, having spent five years working for Northstar Ventures. where she has managed investments in a range of sectors, including Life Sciences, Manufacturing and Healthcare.

Northern Gritstone CEO, Duncan Johnson, said: “Khadija’s experience of investing in early-stage regional businesses will allow her to make an immediate impact as we increase our investments in the North of England’s most innovative companies.”

Sonia Burgess, Ward Hadaway

Leading Leeds-based law firm Ward Hadaway has announced a key strategic appointment to its intellectual property team. Sonia Burgess, a highly experienced chartered trademark attorney, joins the team bringing with her considerable specialist expertise in trademark law. She has a rich, specialist background, having trained with a national intellectual property firm.

Sonia’s appointment represents a significant milestone for Ward Hadaway’s trademark legal services, building on a 20-year legacy. Bringing her into the fold will enable the firm to rapidly expand the scope and enhance the complexity of its offerings in this specialist area of law.

Bill Goodwin, head of IT/IP at Ward Hadaway, who is based in the firm’s Leeds office and is himself a qualified trademark attorney, said: “Sonia’s skillset will provide an invaluable asset to our clients. Her joining signifies our ongoing commitment to innovation and service excellence particularly in the trademark field, where our services have been steadily expanding over the last few years.”

Emma Digby, executive partner at Ward Hadaway in Leeds, said: “Sonia’s addition to our team is an exciting development, reflective of Ward Hadaway’s commitment to continuous growth of our experience and expertise.”

Sonia Burgess added: “I’m pleased to join Ward Hadaway, which is well known for its excellent client service. The firm also has a highly collaborative culture, where everyone works together to achieve the best outcome for clients which aligns closely with my own values.”

Kerri Brooks, Art of Cloud

Leeds-based consultancy, Art of Cloud, has continued its strategic expansion with the appointment of customer success manager, Kerri Brooks. Brooks joins the specialist Salesforce team this week bringing a wealth of CRM and customer management experience in the software sector.

Brooks, AGE, will oversee all aspects of the customer journey at the growing business which serves the needs of a growing client roster both in the UK and Europe. She is the latest in a string of senior hires as Art of Cloud continues to broaden its horizons.

This enhanced senior team will continue to work closely with co-founder and Executive Chairman, Ben Stevenson to deliver bespoke solutions and stand-out support.

Speaking about the appointment, CEO Liz Rhodes, said it was another exciting hire for her flourishing team. “Delivering the very best service is something we are known for - and rightly proud of, so it made sense to create a role focussed on maintaining and boosting those quality of service levels.

“We are keen to monitor and respond to all of our customers’ needs, not just when they join us, but throughout their journey with us, growing with them as they evolve. We are absolutely delighted to be welcoming Kerri as our Customer Success Manager.”

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By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily

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